A modern English translation drawn directly from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. Translated word-for-word where possible, by a committee with scholarly oversight.
Uses the same source texts as the ESV, NASB, and most academic Bibles, including the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia and the Nestle-Aland critical edition.
Genesis 40
Genesis 40 is the fortieth chapter of the book of Genesis and the chapter in which Joseph, still in prison, interprets the dreams of Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker. The 23-verse chapter sets up the connection that will eventually bring Joseph before Pharaoh.
The chapter opens with Pharaoh's cupbearer and his baker offending their master. He puts them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, the same prison where Joseph is held. The captain assigns Joseph to attend them.
After they have been there some time, both men have dreams the same night, each dream with its own meaning. In the morning Joseph sees that they are downcast. He asks why. They answer that they have had dreams and there is no one to interpret them. Joseph says, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams."
The cupbearer goes first. In his dream there is a vine with three branches. The branches bud, blossom, and ripen into grape clusters. He squeezes them into Pharaoh's cup and puts the cup in Pharaoh's hand. Joseph interprets: the three branches are three days. In three days Pharaoh will lift up the cupbearer's head and restore him to his position. Joseph asks the cupbearer to remember him to Pharaoh and to mention him so that he may be brought out of the prison, where he has been held though he did nothing to deserve it.
The baker, encouraged by the favorable interpretation, then tells his dream. There are three baskets of bread on his head; in the top basket are all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds are eating them out of the basket. Joseph interprets: the three baskets are three days. In three days Pharaoh will lift off the baker's head, hang him on a tree, and the birds will eat his flesh.
Three days later, on Pharaoh's birthday, Pharaoh gives a feast for all his officials and lifts up the head of both men. He restores the cupbearer to his cup-bearing, but he hangs the chief baker, exactly as Joseph said.
The chapter closes with a single line: the chief cupbearer does not remember Joseph; he forgets him.
Verse 1. Some time later, the king’s cupbearer and baker offended their master, the king of Egypt.
Verse 2. Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker,
Verse 3. and imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard, the same prison where Joseph was confined.
Verse 4. The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he became their personal attendant. After they had been in custody for some time,
Verse 5. both of these men—the Egyptian king’s cupbearer and baker, who were being held in the prison—had a dream on the same night, and each dream had its own meaning.
Verse 6. When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were distraught.
Verse 7. So he asked the officials of Pharaoh who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so downcast today?”
Verse 8. “We both had dreams,” they replied, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”
Verse 9. So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream: “In my dream there was a vine before me,
Verse 10. and on the vine were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms opened and its clusters ripened into grapes.
Verse 11. Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into his cup, and placed the cup in his hand.”
Verse 12. Joseph replied, “This is the interpretation: The three branches are three days.
Verse 13. Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore your position. You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you did when you were his cupbearer.
Verse 14. But when it goes well for you, please remember me and show me kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh, that he might bring me out of this prison.
Verse 15. For I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing for which they should have put me in this dungeon.”
Verse 16. When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: There were three baskets of white bread on my head.
Verse 17. In the top basket were all sorts of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”
Verse 18. Joseph replied, “This is the interpretation: The three baskets are three days.
Verse 19. Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a tree. Then the birds will eat the flesh of your body.”
Verse 20. On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he held a feast for all his officials, and in their presence he lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker.
Verse 21. Pharaoh restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.
Verse 22. But Pharaoh hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had described to them in his interpretation.
Verse 23. The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot all about him.
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